A Paper Commitment: Equal Employment Opportunity in the Kentucky Bureau of State Police--A Report Prepared by the Kentucky Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.

Hammond, Edith; Schneider, Mark

A study was conducted to determine the extent and level of employment of minorities and women as sworn personnel in the Kentucky Bureau of State Police. Data was collected by means of personal interviews with Bureau officials, troopers, police personnel board members, and representatives of civic and nonprofit organizations as well as from Bureau employment records. It was found that (1) women have never been employed on the Bureau's sworn force; (2) minorities are seriously underrepresented, occupying only 2.2 percent of the force positions in 1977; (3) the Bureau has not demonstrated a commitment to equal employment opportunity; (4) as shown in its eligibility requirements that consist in part of job-unrelated selection procedures (physical specifications, veterans preference, a subjective background check, and personnel board approval), the Bureau has not adopted affirmative action policies; (5) significant future gains appear unlikely; and (6) action through federal judicial process is necessary to remedy the situation, and the suspension of funding from the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration is the first step in such action. (A reply from the Bureau commissioner is also included, refuting the study's findings.) (ELG)